1996 Perseids

These pictures were taken by Philip Blanco and Catherine Cavaletto on 1996 August 12 between 0800 and 1000 UT, using a 50mm lens and ISO 1000 film. The camera was pointed towards the North Pole star (Polaris) for each exposure of 10-20 minutes. Select any image for a higher quality (JPEG) version.

120K JPEG
Fireball! There appeared to be more of these very bright meteors than one normally sees on a typical night's observing.

340K JPEG
A Perseid crosses close to Polaris (a fainter meteor trail nearby can also be seen in the full size JPEG image).

340K JPEG
A faint meteor is captured lower left, while the blinking lights of a passing aeroplane leave a trail lower right.

© 1996 P. Blanco and C. Cavaletto.